Basics of Meditation

The following books/write-ups are meant as an introductory guide to Buddhist Meditation. However, it is essential for you to get in touch with some one who has practiced before to help put you on the right footing. Please refer to our list of centers at which you can obtain instructions on meditation as taught in the Kammathana tradition. Regular courses for beginners are available in Singapore at the Palelai Buddhist Temple.

Food for Thought: 18 Talks on the Training of the Heart, by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo, translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1989; 137k/45pp.)These are short (2 or 3 page) excerpts from Ajaan Lee's talks, offering introductory reflections on the ultimate meaning and worth of Buddhist practice

Advice on the practice

If you'd like a good overview of Phra Ajaan Lee's teachings on meditation and its practice, here's a good starting point: Starting Out Small: A Collection of Talks for Beginning Meditators, by Ajaan Lee Dhammadharo, translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (2000; 156k/52pp.)This collection of fourteen short talks provides an excellent introduction to Ajaan Lee's approach to breath meditation. Although the talks make for great reading, they make for even better listening. If you meditate with a group of friends, try arranging for one member of the group to read a passage while the others are meditating. In that way you can best recreate the context for which the talks were originally intended.

Advice from Phra Ajaan Fuang - Awareness Itself, by Ajaan Fuang Jotiko, compiled and translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (1999; 148k/50pp.)This book contains a delightful and inspiring collection of anecdotal stories retold by an American monk (Phra Ajaan Thanissaro Bhikkhu) who lived under Ajaan Fuang's tutelage for the last decade of Ajaan Fuang's life. These anecdotes reveal a teaching style that adapted readily to the particular needs of the listener at the moment. Collectively they bear the unmistakable mark of a masterful teacher with a profound grasp of Dhamma, offering valuable lessons for newcomers and experienced practitioners alike

Right Attitude. In order to succeed at learning a new skill, one must first muster sufficient respect for oneself, the subject under study, and one's teacher. In this essay Phra Ajaan Thanissaro Bhikkhu points out that the same holds true when approaching the Buddha's teachings -- the ability to learn depends upon the proper respect for three things: yourself, the principle of kamma, and other people's insights into that principle. Opening the Door to the Dhamma: Respect in Buddhist Thought & Practice, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (2001; 22k/7pp.)